School Security News

Lightspeed Systems Injects Filtering and Spam Software into Rocket Appliances

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 03/08/10

Lightspeed Systems has launched a pair of appliances, named "Lightspeed Rockets," that integrate hardware preinstalled with either the company's Internet filtering or spam-blocking software for schools.

Lightspeed Rocket, Web Access Manager provides a Web filter based on an education-specific URL database. The software features My Big Campus, the company's platform for safely sharing and accessing online videos, Web sites, and other content, along with collaborative tools such as blogs and messaging for educators and students. Users gain access by logging in with their network credentials. The software provides monitoring and reporting of all user activity, allowing Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA)-compliant submissions only and enabling users to flag inappropriate content for review or removal.

Lightspeed Rocket, E-Mail Manager provides spam blocking and e-mail archiving. The new appliance gives districts technology to block spam and monitor, regulate, report on, and archive all messaging communications to help meet federal e-discovery regulations and comply with CIPA.

The Lightspeed Rocket, Web Access Manager (Standard) and Lightspeed Rocket, E-Mail Manager (Standard) are $5,000 each. "Redundant" versions of the Rockets, which have dual power supplies, are $8,000 each. The Rockets come with the Lightspeed Systems software, but they also require a site license, which is $4 per workstation.

Each device promises throughput of 1 Gbps. The company said it expects to launch additional, higher-capacity Rockets during summer 2010.